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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standard for Race and Ethnicity
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Standard for Race and Ethnicity Standard or Specification

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Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

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Description: Office of Management and Budget (OMB): For more than 20 years, the current standards in OMB`s Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 has provided a common language to promote uniformity and comparability for data on race and ethnicity for the population groups specified in the Directive. They were developed in cooperation with Federal agencies to provide consistent data on race and ethnicity throughout the Federal Government. Development of the data standards stemmed in large measure from new responsibilities to enforce civil rights laws. Data was needed to monitor equal access in housing, education, employment, and other areas for populations that historically had experienced discrimination and differential treatment because of their race or ethnicity. The standards are used not only in the decennial census, which provides the data for the `denominator` for many measures, but also in household surveys, administrative forms (e.g. school registration and mortgage lending applications), and in medical and other research. The categories represent a social-political construct designed for collecting data on the race and ethnicity of broad population groups in this country, and are not anthropologically or scientifically based.
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements: Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information: This technology has not been assessed by the Section 508 Office. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov.
Decision: View Decisions
Decision Source: TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process: One-VA TRM v23.10
Decision Date: 10/19/2023 at 17:58:07 UTC
Aliases: OMB, Race, Ethnicity
Introduced By: Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO) TRM Team
Standards Body: OMB - The White House
- The information contained on this page is accurate as of the Decision Date (10/19/2023 at 17:58:07 UTC).